On Friday evening, the New York Department of Health (DOH) issued an advisory through the Health Commerce System, shortening the isolation period for certain fully vaccinated health care workers and other critical workforce members.
As relevant to home care providers, the advisory states, “In limited circumstances where there is a critical staffing shortage,” employers may allow a person to return to work after day 5 of their isolation period (where day zero is defined as either date of symptom onset if symptomatic, or date of collection of first positive test if asymptomatic) if they meet all the following criteria:
- The individual is a healthcare worker or other critical workforce member (home care workers are included)
- The individual is fully vaccinated,
- The individual is asymptomatic, or, if they had mild symptoms, when they return to work they must:
- Not have a fever for at least 72 hours without fever-reducing medication
- Have resolution of symptoms or, if still with residual symptoms, then all are improving
- Not have rhinorrhea (runny nose)
- Have no more than minimal, non-productive cough (i.e., not disruptive to work and does not stop the person from wearing their mask continuously, not coughing up phlegm), and
- The individual is able to consistently and correctly wear a well-fitting face mask, a higher level mask such as a KN95, or a fit-tested N95 respirator while at work. The mask should fit with no air gaps around the edges.
Individuals who are moderately to severely immunocompromised are not eligible to return to work under this guidance.
Employees in healthcare settings, including home care, “may allow workers” to participate and return to work in accordance with the above criteria, however, the employee “should be restricted from contact with severely immunocompromised patients (e.g., transplant, hematology-oncology, neonatal ICU) and “a respirator or well-fitting surgical facemask should be worn even when the individual is in non-patient care areas such as breakrooms or offices.”
Individuals who return to work under these criteria “must continue to stay at home, take precautions to avoid household transmission, and observe other required elements of isolation while not at work until the end of the 10-day period.”
Testing is not required.
Per the DOH, workers participating in this program “should be instructed” that: (1) They should practice social distancing from coworkers at all times except when job duties do not permit such distancing; (2) If they must remove their respirator or well-fitting facemask, for example, in order to eat or drink, they should separate themselves from others; and (3) They should self-monitor for symptoms and seek re-evaluation from occupational health or their personal healthcare provider if symptoms recur or worsen.